Multi-personal Composite Charts (Multi-composite)

by Dieter Koch and Alois Treindl

The ordinary two-person composite chart is calculated
from the birth charts of two people and gives information on the
nature of the relationship between them. In principle, the composite
chart can be erected for any kind of relationship, i.e. not only
for love relationships but also for friendships, work relationships,
for people we have trouble with, or even for enemies, such as Sharon
and Arafat etc.

Similar uses are possible for the 'multi-personal composite'
or, in short, 'multi-composite' chart. The multi-composite
method provides charts for triangular relationships such as
love triangles, family charts or group charts for work colleagues
or friends. Particularly interesting: It is possible to examine
how the dynamics within a group change when a new member joins
or an old member leaves the group.

The two-person-composite

The usual two-person composite chart is calculated as follows:
The Sun of the composite chart is located exactly in the middle
of both natal Suns of the people involved. We can call this
point 'midpoint', 'mean value' or 'balance point'. The other
planets in the composite chart are calculated in the same way:
They are midpoints or mean values of the birth position of
the respective planets.

Venus and Mercury, however, constitute a special situation.
In the 'real' sky, these two planets can never be more than
45 degrees away from the Sun. However, the composite position
can occasionally more or less oppose the Sun. In such cases,
some astrologers prefer moving the respective planet to the
opposite side of the chart (a shift of 180 degrees).

There are two methods for calculating the MC, Ascendant and
houses in the composite chart. The so-called 'reference place
method' takes the mean value of the Midheaven, and from that
the Ascendant and houses are calculated for a certain reference
place of which only the geographic latitude is taken into account.
A suitable reference place would be the place where the relationships
of both partners "takes place" or "happens".

The other method, the so-called 'midpoint method', calculates
the mean values for MC, Ascendant and house cusps individually.
This method does not need a reference place.

Astrodienst offers both methods.

The multi-person composite

How can we extend the method of the composite chart to more
than two people? Unfortunately, the situation in this case
is more complicated. Two techniques are at our disposal which
result in different charts. With two people only, they result
in the same chart: the ordinary two-person composite chart.

The 'mean value' or 'balance point' method

So, in the two-person composite chart, the position of the
Sun is calculated as the mean value of both natal Suns, the
position of composite Mercury is the mean value of both natal
Mercuries, etc. In concrete terms, the positions of both natal
planets are determined by degrees between 0° and 360°,
they are added up, and the result divided by two. The resulting
point / position is, however, only one of two possible solutions.
The other point is exactly opposite. For the composite chart,
we choose the point which is closer to both natal planets.

We could be tempted to use exactly the same method for calculating
a composite chart for three or more people: Take the degrees
of the three natal Suns, add them up and divide them by three.
However, the result makes sense only in some cases while in
others it doesn't make sense at all.

An example:

Three people with their Suns at

10° (10° Aries)

60° (0° Gemini)

350° (20° Pisces)

420° : 3 = 140° (20° Leo)

This solution obviously doesn't make sense. The correct point
would have to be inside the area of the three natal Suns, i.e.
at around 20° (20° Aries).

What's wrong here? Why does
it not work? The problem is that the result depends on the
reference point from which we calculate. In the example, this
is the vernal equinox, i.e. 0° Aries. However, if we calculate
it starting from 20° Pisces (=350°), we get the correct
result:

10° - 350°

= 20°

60° - 350°

= 70°

350° - 350°

= 0°

90° / 3 = 30°

30° + 350° = 20° Aries - correct!

It turns out that our example has three possible solutions,
depending on the reference point we choose:

Reference point

Solution

60° < r <= 350°

20° Aries

350° < r <= 10° (370°)

140° (20° Leo)

10° < r <= 60°

260° (20° Sagittarius)

So, no matter from which point we
start the calculation, we always end up with one of three points
which are 120° apart.

Now, we remember that there are two symmetrical points in
the two-person composite chart of which we have to select the
more
suitable one. The more suitable one is the one closer to the
natal planets involved. The multi-composite works in a very
similar way. However, with three people, there are three possible
symmetrical points at a distance of 120° from each other.
Each of these balances, in a way, the three Suns that
participate in the composite chart. The
point at 140°, for example, is 210° away from the
Sun at 350°. If we add both distances, from this point
to the other two Suns, we also get 210° (80° +
130°). Similar calculations are possible for each of the
three symmetrical points. This leads to the assumption that
all three symmetrical points are astrologically relevant in
some way or another, and still, it is obvious that the point
at 20° is the most important one.

The same phenomenon occurs with a larger number of people.
There are always as many symmetry points as there are persons
making up the composite chart. So, with n people there are
n symmetrical points which are at a mutual distance of 360°/n.

How do we find the correct symmetry point so that we can draw
it into the chart as the composite Sun? In order to find out,
we can do the following for every symmetrical point: Calculate
its distance from each of the natal Suns, take the square of
each distance and add up all squares. Do this for all symmetry
points. The composite point you're looking for (i.e. the "mean
value of the Sun") is the symmetry point of which the
sum of all squared distances is smallest.

This is our concrete procedure when we calculate a multi-composite
chart. However, the method can also be defined more simply
like that:

The composite point is that point in the zodiac for which
the sum of the squared distances to the natal planets involved
is minimal.

Or, more technically:

The composite point is that point in
the zodiac for which the standard deviation of the natal
planets involved is
minimal.

Applying this technique to two people results in the ordinary
two-person composite chart.

To illustrate this method, here's a thought experiment:
We have a rod, 360 cm in length, with the
360 cm corresponding to the 360 degrees of the zodiac. This
rod is made of ultra light metal and has virtually no weight
at all, but at the same time is very strong and inflexible
(comparable to the material UFO's are made of). We now attach
three identical weights to this rod at the appropriate zodiac
degrees, the weights representing the three natal Suns. Now,
we try to balance this rod on one finger. The question is:
at which zodiac degree would we have to put the finger in order
to keep the rod in complete balance? This is the sought-after
balance point (or mean value). An Example: Three people have
their natal Suns at 0° Aries, 0° Gemini (60°) and
0° Libra (180°). The balance point is at 20° Gemini
(80°).

However, this thought experiment doesn't illustrate the multi-composite
chart well enough. In actual practice, the rod would only give
the correct symmetry point in a third of all cases, in all
different cases it would give the wrong one. Let's take the
example we used before: For the three Suns at 10°, 60° and
350°, we would get the symmetry point at 140° (the
same as further above), which is not correct. In order to get
the other symmetry points, the beginning of the rod has to
fall on a different zodiac degree. If we choose the scale on
the rod so that it reaches from 350° to 350°, we will
get the correct result: the composite Sun at 20°.

Of course, a comparable composite machine can also be constructed
with terrestrial materials, not only with extra-terrestrial
ones. The construction will, however, be more complicated,
because we have to make sure that the weight of the rod doesn't
carry any weight.

The 'centre of gravity' method (Vector addition)

For the other possible procedure, we put ourselves in the
centre of the zodiac, we place the three natal Suns in their
respective positions and find out into which direction they
are pulling us. There is also an easy way of building a mechanical
multi-composite calculator: Take a circular
metal disc and drill a hole exactly in the centre. Draw up
the zodiac around the outer edge. Then hang it up at a nail
on the wall. Three (or n) magnets of the same weight represent
the Suns of the three (or n) people involved. Place them on
the disc at their respective zodiac positions. The disc will
now start to turn and level off in a certain position with
the centre of gravity taking the lowest position. The point
in the zodiac which levels off in the lowest position is the
sought-after position of the composite Sun. The same procedure
can be applied to all other planets.

In order to calculate the thus found composite planets, it
is necessary to convert the zodiac positions of the natal planets
into vectors (arrows from the centre of the circle to the respective
planetary position) and add them up. The direction of the resulting
vector points to the composite planet.

If this procedure is applied to two people, the result is
again the usual two-person composite. This method leads to
the same two-person composite as the previously described 'mean
value' or 'balance point' method. However, if applied to three
or more people, the two techniques result in different charts!

This can be illustrated by an example. Let's assume we have
two natal Suns at 0° and 180°. According to the gravity
method (vector addition), the two opposing Suns cancel each
other out. If they were on the circular disc, it could be stopped
at any arbitrary point, because the disc's centre of gravity
would be exactly in the centre. If we now add a third Sun at
60°, our disc will turn in such a way that the third Sun
will level off at the lowest point. In other words: In this
case, the composite Sun would be at the same position as the
natal Sun of the third person, that is 60°.

What result would we get if we used the mean value method?
We add 0° + 60° + 180° = 240° and then divide
the sum by three: 240° / 3 = 80°.
This happens to be the most convenient of the three symmetry points. (The other
two are at 200° (= 80° + 120°) and at 320° (= 80° + 120° +
120°).)
So, the composite Sun is at 80° with this method, whereas it is at 60° with
the gravity method.

We can therefore conclude that there is only one type of composite
chart for two people, but two different types for three or
more people.

Astrodienst's preferences

Of course, the question is, which procedure will stand the
test of experience; and it is well possible that - as so often
in astrology - both variants will
find their followers. Astrodienst prefers the 'mean value' or 'balance
point' method. However, web users are also given the possibility
to experiment with the 'centre of gravity' method.
(Extended Chart Selection -> Type of chart: Multi-Composite)

There is also a theoretical criterion which would favour the
'mean value' or 'balance point' method. An example: We want
to calculate a composite chart for three friends, two of them
with a near exact opposition of their natal Suns, e.g. in Aries
and Libra. The third friend has a Gemini Sun. According to
the gravity method Aries and Libra would cancel each other
out, and the composite Sun would therefore be in Gemini. In
other words, the composite Sun is determined exclusively by
the third person, the Gemini. But would Aries and Libra in
real life cancel each other out in a relationship of three?
And only the Gemini would dominate?

A variation of the 'centre of gravity' method

It is also possible to adjust the calculation even more to
the 'physical' realities by taking into account the ecliptic
latitude of the planets and the real gravitational forces of
the celestial bodies which depend on the distance of the planet
from Earth. This method results in yet another composite chart,
even for the two-person composite! However, we consider this
method rather unastrological, since distance and gravity are
usually not factors which are taken into consideration in astrology.
Heavy Jupiter, light-weight Mars and ultra-light-weight Pluto
all carry the same weight in astrology. The respective distances
from Earth are not used in astrology either.

Possibilities of studying group dynamics

The positions of composite planets can also be "stable" or "unstable" in
the sense that they react strongly or only mildly to the joining
or leaving of one person. An example: If we have a composite
chart of four people whose Suns roughly make a Grand Cross,
the resulting distribution won't give a strong tendency towards
any particular direction. The position of the composite Sun
is then 'shaky'. If now a person joins or leaves the group,
the new composite Sun can shift considerably. A counter-example:
If we have four people with Gemini Suns, there is a definite
common tendency towards a composite Sun in Gemini. A person
joining or leaving will now only have a relatively small effect
on the composite Sun, i.e. it will not shift considerably.

Accordingly, group horoscopes can be very stable or unstable
in themselves. If all planets have a stable position, the addition
or removal of one person will change the composite chart very
little. However, if several planets are unstable, the chart
will change dramatically.

Consequently, the composite chart is a very interesting tool
for researching group dynamics and changes caused by a person
joining or leaving a group.

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